Ancient Greek Philosophy: Plato, Aristotle, and Sophist Contrasts

Plato vs. Aristotle: Core Philosophical Differences

For Plato, there are two distinct worlds: the sensible and the supersensible. The intelligible world, for him, is the most real and transcendent. By contrast, for Aristotle, the only world that exists is the sensible one, consisting of unique, specific, external, individual objects.

Key Contrasts Between Plato and Aristotle

• The Concept of Form and Essence

  The notion of Plato's Idea as the essence of things coincided with Aristotle's concept of the Formal Cause. The key distinction lies in their nature: for Plato, the Idea is transcendent and separate from the world, while for Aristotle, the form is immanent, existing within matter itself.

• Cosmic Order and Prime Mover

  The Platonic concept of the Demiurge, understood as an agent that introduces order into the cosmos, is similar to Aristotle's Final Cause or the Unmoved Mover. The latter moves without being moved, serving as the ultimate source of motion and change.

• The Nature of the Soul

  For Plato, the soul is immortal and its nature is determined from birth (i.e., if one is born a warrior, they remain a warrior for eternity). For Aristotle, the soul is mortal (it decays and dies) and its development depends on learning. Initially, all human beings possess enormous potential, but only some potentialities are actualized. Hence, Aristotle emphasized the importance of development and learning.

• Epistemology: Rationalism vs. Empiricism

  Plato advocated for rationalism and nativism: Ideas and all knowledge pre-exist in our soul; "to know is to remember" what already exists within the soul. Aristotle, by contrast, championed empiricism: "nothing is in the intellect that was not first in the senses." Before perception, our understanding is like a blank slate, a tabula rasa.

• The Role of Mathematics and Science

  While for Plato, mathematics is the pinnacle of propaedeutic science and consequently, the model for all science, for Aristotle, the experimental sciences held greater importance, alongside mathematics.

Sophists and Philosophers: A Comparison

The similarity between Sophists and philosophers lies in their use of rhetoric; both were persuasive in discussing ideas. The fundamental difference, however, is profound. Sophists, to demonstrate their vast knowledge, recited what they learned from books without questioning its veracity. Philosophers (e.g., Plato), being skeptical, critically questioned whether what was written in books was true.